Leopold gbaf



(No Model.)

L. GRAF.

LAST. y No. 327,789. Patented Got. 6, 1885.

l Uivrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEOPOLD GRAF, OF NEWARK, NEV JERSEY.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,789, dated October6, 1885.

Application filed July E23, 1855.

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, LEOPOLD GRAF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Lasts, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to improvements in lasts; and the nature andobject of the invention are to provide a last suitable, among otherthings, for application to heeling-machines, and which is adapted tormly support a boot or shoe while being operated upon. Means may also beprovided for firmly attaching the last to a holder, substantially ashereinafter described.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure lis a vertical longitudinal section of a last. Fig. 2 is asection in the plane x x, Fig. l.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

As shown in Fig. 1, the last has an anterior portion, A, and a posteriorportion or heel, B. A rod or arm, C, connects the anterior and posteriorportions. The connecting rod or arm C is capable of a longitudinalmotion. The heel B can be formed with a recess, in which the rod or armC can move longitudinally. A spring, D, tends to force the rod or arm Cout of the heel B. A stop can be provided to prevent the arm O passingentirely out of the heel B. As shown in the drawings, this stop may beformed by a shoulder or lugs, E, on the rod or arm C, which shoulder orlugs come into contact with a lug or lugs on the heel B. The lug or lugson the heel B may be formed by screwing or attaching to the heel B aplate, E, of metal or other suitable material, which plate E has aperforation or passage large enough to allow the forward or smallerportion of the arm or rod C to move longitudinally, but which passage isnot large enough to allow the shoulder or the enlarged part E of the rodor arm C to pass through the plate E. The arm C is thus prevented frombeing moved entirely out of engagement with the heel B.

The anterior portion, A, of the last is con nected by a pivot, a, to therod or arm C. This pivot a allows the anterior portion, A, to swing inthe direction of arrow 1, Fig. 1, and to return until the stop b strikesagainst an Serial No 172,467, (No model.)

abutment which may be formed on the con` necting rod or arm C; but saidpivot a does not allow any side movement nor any turning p about thelongitudinal axis of the anterior portion, A,independently of theposterior portion, B. The rod or arm C, by being made of a square orangular shape in cross-section, and by being made to snugly fit thepassage in the plate E, is prevented from turning about its longitudinalaxis independently of the heel B. The anterior portion, A, and the heelor posterior portion, B, are thus free to move longitudinally withrespect to one an` other, but they cannot revolve about the 1ongitudinalaxis of thelast independently of one another.

The pivot a may have its bearings in a bracket, G. The bracket G can betapped for the reception of a screw or fastening, c. The posteriorportion, B, can be provided with a slot or elongated hole, d, so thatwhen the screw c is loosened in its socketthe anterior portion, A, canbe set a certain distance forward or backward upon the bracket G, andthen fixed at a desired point. The last can thus be made longer orshorter to fitdifferent lengths of boots or shoes.

The anterior portion, A, is shaped so as to firmly support the toe,instep, and vamp of a boot or shoe. Thus the part h of the anteriorportion, A, supports the instep, the parts z' support the vamp, and thepart k supports the toe. By thus having the boot or shoe firmlysupported the boot or shoe is not liable to be wrinkled or spoiled bysevere handling to which the boot or shoe is liable to be exposed whilebeing operated upon.

The last can be supported on a holder, I. To connect the last and theholder I, the leg H of the last can be perforated to receive dowels orpins e e rising from the holder I. Upon the holder I slides a sleeve ortube, g, of metal or other suitable material, and which snugly lits theholder, said holder I and leg H having the same or similar configurationin cross-section at the junction of the leg H and holder I. Upon the legH is a rim or shoulder, f, (one or more.) When the holder I is placed incontact with the leg H, and the pins or dowels e e inserted into therecesses or cavities for their reception, the sleeve or collar g is slidover the joint between the leg H and IOO the holder I until said sleeveg` rests in contact with the shoulder f, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The joint between the holder I and the leg H is thus covered,and thematerial of the shoe or b oot or the hands of the workman are not liableto be pinched or caught between the holder I and the leg H.

My device will be found very useful, for eX- ample, in the attaching ofheels to boots or shoes. In such case an unfinished boot or shoe isslipped over the last, which can be very easily done, as the anteriorportion, A, can be swung about the pivot a in the direction of arrow 1,and said anterior portion, A, can also be moved toward the posteriorportion, B, thus allowing aboot or shoe to be easily slipped over thelast. When a boot or shoe has been mounted upon the last, the anteriorportion, A, is allowed to move away from the posterior portion or heel,B, thus lling the boot vor shoe, and when the anterior portion,A,swingsor .moves about the pivot a into the position indicated in Fig. l, withthe stop b resting against its abutment, then the toe, instep, and vampof the boot or shoe will all be firmly supported upon the toe k, theinstep h, and the vamp or front z' of the last.

The toe, instep, and vamp or frontof aboot or shoe are sometimes formedof light or ilexible material, which is apt to wrinkle or suffer fromsevere handling, to which the boot or sh oeissometimes subjected whenbeing worked upon-as, for example, when a heel is being attached to theboot or shoe. By forming the anterior portion, A, so as to firmlysupport the toe, instep, and vamp of a boot or shoe, the materialcomposing the toe, instep, and Vamp will not be liable to wrinkle andwill be enabled to submit to a considerable amount of severe handlingwithout becoming injuredf In order to vary the range of motion of theanterior portion, A, about the pivot a, the stop b can be madeadjustable. In the example shown in the drawings, the stop bconsists ofa screw, which enters into a suitable cavity or recess in the bracket G.By inserting or screwing the stop or screw b more or less into thebracket G, the anterior portion, A, will swing a greater or lessdistance in the direction opposed to the arrow 1, Fig. 1, before thestop b comes into contact with its abutment or rest on the connection C.The anterior portion, A, can thus be adjusted for various positions, tofill out or support various heights of insteps or various shapes ofboots or shoes.

The last A B and connecting rod or arm C can'be formed of wood or anysuitable material.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in alast, of an anterior portion, A, a posteriorportion, "B, a rod, C, havinga shoulder or abutment, and towhich theanterior portion is `pivoted to swing in a vertical plane, and a stop,b, movable with the anterior portion and adapted to strike the shoulderor abutment on the rod to limit the swinging movement of the saidanterior portion, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a last, of the posterior portion, B, the rod C,theslotted anterior portion, A, the bracket G, the screw c, passingthrough the slot in the anterior portion and engaging the bracket, andan adjustable stop, b, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a last, of the posterior portion, B, the rod orarm C, the bracket G,'pivoted to the latter, the anterior portion,

lA,oadjustable lengthwise on the bracket, and

the stop b, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a last, of lugs or shoulders f f adapted tohold afastening dep vice, g, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in thepresenceof two subscrib-v ing witnesses.

LEOPOLD GRAF. [1.. s] Witnesses:

ALFRED L. SCHMID, A. FABER DU FAUR.

